Back in 2009 I published a true Victorian tale surrounding the murder of a 4 year old boy in Wiltshire. The local police weren’t able to solve the crime so the magistrates called for the assistance of Scotland Yard and to that end Jonathan Whicher took on the case although it ultimately resulted in his loss of credibility. I have now republished this, as a new TV drama is about to hit our screens on ITV here in the UK surrounding another Whicher tale and I thought some of my readers might be interested!

Countess Erszebet Bathory was a breathtakingly beautiful, unusually well-educated woman, married to a descendant of Vlad Dracula of Bram Stoker fame. In 1611, she was tried - though, being a noblewoman, not convicted - in Hungary for slaughtering 612 young girls. The true figure may have been 40-100, though the Countess recorded in her diary more than 610 girls and 50 bodies were found in her estate when it was raided.

COPS were last night probing unsolved murders after jailed Crossbow Cannibal Stephen Griffiths told them he "killed loads".

Griffiths, 40, got life yesterday for butchering three prostitutes.

He admitted turning his flat in Bradford, West Yorks, into what he described as a "slaughterhouse"...